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A review by becandbooks
Written on the Body: Letters from Trans and Non-Binary Survivors of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Lexie Bean
5.0
Trigger warnings:
Please express self-care and emotional support while reading this book.
This book is something else.
This is a collection of letters, addressed to their own bodies, from trans and non-binary survivors of violence and assault. Weaving together narratives of gender, identity, and abuse this book tells many stories that deserve to be heard.
I want to start with complete transparency.
I do not personally identify as trans nor non-binary. While I do have personal experience with sexual assault this is not an ownvoices review. This book is not mine to relate to and everything I say about this book is said with the utmost respect for all the contributors and anyone who claims this book as part of their story.
If anyone knows of any ownvoice reviews of this book, please let me know. I would love to link them, as their thoughts are incredibly important to this story.
This collection of letters is raw and painful and truthful.
I feel wildly privileged to be allowed to read stories that are filled with such incredible wrongdoings on people who were then so courageous as to share their journey, their thoughts, and their emotions.
Sometimes it's poetic, sometimes it's angry, sometimes it's uplifting and hopeful. It contains prose and rhyme and free verse and essay-style writing. These letters are stories of trauma, but also of self-awareness and healing. Of journeys so unique to the individual that despite being granted the honour to look in on the story, only those who have walked in those shoes will ever fully comprehend.
All of it is heartbreaking and raw. But this book is one full of stories that deserve to be told and listened to. It is complicated and powerful.
Spoiler
rape, domestic abuse, physical and sexual abuse, mental health, self-injury and suicide, dysphoria, body image/eating disorders, explicit sexual contentPlease express self-care and emotional support while reading this book.
This book is something else.
This is a collection of letters, addressed to their own bodies, from trans and non-binary survivors of violence and assault. Weaving together narratives of gender, identity, and abuse this book tells many stories that deserve to be heard.
"to my blood vessels carrying electric signals like a radio switcher
you let me feel everything.
for that i can't help but hate you."
I want to start with complete transparency.
I do not personally identify as trans nor non-binary. While I do have personal experience with sexual assault this is not an ownvoices review. This book is not mine to relate to and everything I say about this book is said with the utmost respect for all the contributors and anyone who claims this book as part of their story.
If anyone knows of any ownvoice reviews of this book, please let me know. I would love to link them, as their thoughts are incredibly important to this story.
"to my breath i am sorry i lost you. come back."
This collection of letters is raw and painful and truthful.
I feel wildly privileged to be allowed to read stories that are filled with such incredible wrongdoings on people who were then so courageous as to share their journey, their thoughts, and their emotions.
Sometimes it's poetic, sometimes it's angry, sometimes it's uplifting and hopeful. It contains prose and rhyme and free verse and essay-style writing. These letters are stories of trauma, but also of self-awareness and healing. Of journeys so unique to the individual that despite being granted the honour to look in on the story, only those who have walked in those shoes will ever fully comprehend.
"We survive by having brilliant bodies that hold, hide, express, contain, freeze, abandon, act out, and restrain."
All of it is heartbreaking and raw. But this book is one full of stories that deserve to be told and listened to. It is complicated and powerful.
Note: Review copy received via NetGalley. This does not impact opinions within this review.
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Happy reading! ❤